new rules affecting the train. >> and be extra careful on the roads today. we will explain what is significant about december 15th. plus with all the state budget cuts, districts are scrambling for money. we'll show you what one california district has decided to do just to close that school budget gap. it's wednesday, december 15th, "today in the bay." from nbc bay area, reporting what matters to you, this is "today in the bay." good wednesday morning. thanks for joining us. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> and i'm brent cannon. straight up 5:00. rob is here, he has a look at your hour-by-hour forecast. it got a little wet overnight. >> yeah, it did. the good news, most of the rain has moved on and you can put the umbrellas away at least for a day or so. you can see you want your winter coat this morning, it's kind of chilly. 30s and 40s around dawn. around lunchtime hitting the mid-50s and cooling quickly towards the evening. we still have rain off to the east, snow in the sierra.

the break will not last long. we're talking more heavy rain in the forecast. a full look at those changes coming up in a few minutes. new this morning, amtrak is lifting its ban on guns. that ban went into effect after the september 11th attacks but as of this morning passengers can check unloaded guns. marla tellez is live in oakland with what gun owners need to do if they do bring a gun on a train. marla? >> reporter: it is not all that easy. as of today, passengers boarding amtrak now in addition to checking their luggage, they can check a weapon, but there are some conditions they'll have to meet. one of those conditions is a passenger must give amtrak at least 24 hours' notice. the new rule states firearms, including handguns, starter pistols, rifles or shotguns, they must be unloaded and stored in a locked container within the baggage car. now, keep in mind, not all amtrak trains have baggage cars.

i spoke to a woman inside here this morning and she told me some trains passing through oakland do have them, but not all. a passenger can also checkup to 11 pounds of ammunition. the gun prohibition has been in effect since 9/11, so more than nine years now. two sides to this. supporters of the ban say it brings train travel up to speed with air travel rules that allows passengers to also check weapons. gun control advocates say it only makes trains less secure and less safe. the main difference between air travel and train travel is that amtrak does not screen all passengers before they board. reporting live in oakland this morning, marla tellez, "today in the bay." san rafael police are hoping a hefty reward will cause a break in an unsolved murder case. a 33-year-old woman's body was found two years ago tomorrow in a san rafael parking lot. investigators say she was rape andy then asphyxiated. despite interviewing dozens of people, police have no leads on

a suspect. today they plan to announce a $50,000 reward in the case. the money is coming from the governor's reward program and detectives hope it's enough for someone with information to come forward. an east bay school district is a step closer to boarding up a number of schools. the mt. diablo district says it needs to shut down at least three schools in order to cover millions of dollars in budget cuts. coming up at 5:30, we will take a look at what schools the district says are at the top of the list. a southern california school district is doing something local schools may soon consider, it is skipping the state and going straight to businesses to close the budget gap. they approved a plan that would allow corporate sponsorship. businesses will be allowed to advertise on campus directly to students. the district says it will ban ads by cigarettes, tobacco and soda companies. >> one of the first rules is that the classroom is off

limits. we are going to do our best to make sure that this does not disrupt the school day or instructional time. >> critics say young people are already bombarded by ads outside of school and will be distracted from learning. proponents of the plan say the money will help save programs and staff. an 8-year-old girl may have to wait a day or two before she finds out if she can play basketball on an all boys team. she has been playing on a co-ed team the past two years at the local ymca. many of her basketball teammates and her friends happen to be boys. when her parents tried to put her on one of the boys teams so that she could be with her friends, the city of menlo park told them that the rules forbid girls from playing with boys. >> it seems like an outdated rule and we want to teach our kids gender separation is not the best way to handle the situation. >> city leaders say they are

open to the idea of changing the policy, but the parks and rec commissioners want to hear from the public first, and that could happen as early as today. no more plastic bags in san jose and you'll have to pay for the paper ones. the city council says retailers will have to ditch the plastic bags and start charging for paper ones by january 1st of 2012. ten cents a bag at first. eventually the price will go up to 25 cents a paper bag. restaurants, nonprofit organizations will be exempt. other cities can use the ban as an example to set bans of their own. san francisco supervisors do want to host the next americas cup the question is can the city and the race organizers agree on what it's going to take to make that happen. supervisors unanimously voted yesterday to approve mayor newsom's bid to host the 2013 americas cup. that race is expected to give the local economy a big boost. now the decision is up to race organizers. san francisco is the home turf of this year's winner, the bmw

oracle racing team, which is sponsored by san francisco's golden gate yacht club, took the 2010 americas cup off the coast of spain, so they get to host it this time. walking one of yosemite's most famous trails will now be a little more difficult. the national parks service says you're going to need a permit to hike to the top. under the old policy, you could make that climb on weekdays without a permit. you only had to get a permit on weekends and holidays. but so many people hike on week days that the park service has decided to require permits seven days a week now. each person can order up to four permits, but it does cost you $1.50 service charge. san francisco supervisors are distancing themselves from a plan that could have started a congestion toll war on its southern border. supervisors voted yesterday not to continue studying the idea of charging drivers $3 to come into the city during peak commute hours and another $3 to leave.

the idea had at least one leader threatening to strike back with a border toll of his own and many were asking why san francisco would get all the money from the project, considering every border has two sides. supervisors did, however, decide to look into congestion tolls into parts of downtown. before you get behind the wheel today, there is a little known fact you might want to consider. more californians get into car crashes on december 15th, that's today, than any other day of the year. according to allstate insurance, over the last four years, the rate of accidents jumped 23% on december 15th. the cause could be a combination of weather, shopping trips and travel. the company says the three most important rules drivers should follow no matter what day it is, at all times make sure that you eliminate distractions, drive according to the conditions and never drink and drive. >> i did notice a lot more traffic on the road this morning. >> we will see what happens. rob is going to pull a little double duty for us today. >> mike is off this morning.

he knew. >> the survey said weather could be a factor so you're linking it altogether. >> well, it's my fault. we've got the fog or heavy rain at times. today good news at least for the morning commute. we're not talking about any rain. it's a little chilly outside right now. 44 grows in fairfield, 48 in livermore. san jose close to 50 degrees. at least for now the radar is dry and we should see this hold up until thursday afternoon, so there's some good news for your driving around the bay area. but if you head off to the east towards the sierra, there's still chain controls up around interstate 80 and highway 50. for the timing of our next storm system, today and tomorrow you can see here on the futurecast, things should be dry other than the mist we're seeing with patchy fog. thursday evening and friday, obviously friday morning we'll see rain for your morning commute and some of this rain at times locally heavy for friday, but not too bad. most of the totals for friday should be an inch or less. its stronger and wetter systems for the weekend that pack a

bigger punch. today around the bay area upper 50s san jose, mid-50s pretty much elsewhere except up towards lakeport. 46 degrees. 55 around vacaville. as we look at your seven-day forecast, enjoy the brief break because friday into saturday the rain comes back in and will be heavy at times. checking your morning commute along the bay bridge, it looks presentee good. you see the traffic volumes increasing westbound toward san francisco. travel times, everything on time. exception to the rule right now approaching westbound caldecott tunnel, travel times dropping down to 54 miles per hour. heading toward the benicia and san rafael bridges, travel times looking pretty good. highway 24, nimitz freeway, everything still in the green this morning. let's hope that continues. back to you. it's 5:09 right now. a shocking attack at a school board meeting. a man with a gun, walks in and opens fire. it's all caught on tape. we'll show you what happens. and a routine traffic stop becomes anything but routine when the driver starts wrestling with the police officer.

we'll show you what happens next. plus after being quiet for weeks, terrell owens opens his mouth. we'll tell you what the former 49er is saying about his new team. and a live look outside from the south bay this morning. san jose one of those places drying out a little bit after the rain. of course rob is keeping tabs on when the next batch will be moving through. reporting what matters to you, you're watching "today in the bay" with laura garcia-cannon, brent cannon, business and technology with scott mcgrew, and traffic with mike inouye. [ female announcer ] dry, cracked hands? gold bond ultimate concentrated cream heals and protects like lotion can't. gold bond concentrated therapy. real medicine, ultimate healing. come celebrate exciting cars that are stunning to look at, exhilarating to drive and worry free to own. celebrate this holiday season with the gift of platinum. jaguar platinum coverage:

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good morning, everybody. the time is 5:13. a live look outside this morning. the oakland airport in the distance there. i do believe they have more service to hawaii these days if you're looking to get away and get warm. >> why are you telling me? >> i believe we talked about that earlier this week. right now it is 5:13. a terrifying scene unfolded during a florida school board meeting yesterday. it was captured on camera by an nbc affiliate. we want to warn you that the scenes you're about to see could be upsetting. witnesses say clay duke came to the meeting to confront school board members about his wife's firing. after briefly talking to members, he spray painted a red

figure on the wall and then took out a gun. one school board member tried to knock the weapon out of duke's hand, but ended up knocking her to the ground and then he fired that weapon. >> please don't. please don't. please. [ gunshots ] >> no one was hurt by the first shot but later duke did shoot a security guard who confronted him and then he killed himself. the security guard is expected to survive. an investigation into what led up to the shooting is ongoing. an officer attacked and locked in a deadly struggle with a suspect. check out this dash cam video from dayton, ohio. an officer pulls a car over because it was missing a headlight, but then the driver and the officer get into a fight. they struggle at least five minutes. the driver tries repeatedly to grab the officer's gun and taser. you can see him reaching for it there. a good samaritan then rushes in and hits the driver on the back

of the head, which gives the officer a chance to regain control. >> this young lady did come to his assistance. i think it's very commendable, although don't get me wrong, i'm not endorsing the citizens to participate in this manner. but at least in this particular circumstance it was very commendable of her. >> backup did arrive a few moments later. investigators say the driver did have a history of violence against police, including two charges of assaulting an officer. at least 27 people are dead this morning after a boatful of people seeking asylum sunk off the coast of australia. the wooden boat was carrying about 70 asylum seekers. rough seas threw it into jagged rocks near a remote australian island. 27 bodies have been recovered. 41 survivors were rescued from the water, but 30 of them are critically hurt. one person made it to shore alive.

it's not yet clear where the boat was from. australia is a popular dozen nation for those fleeing from war-torn countries. all of south korea came to a grinding halt today in the country's biggest drill ever. air raid sirens signalled the start of a 20-minute evacuation test. everyone stops work to put on gas masks and head to underground shelters. south korea has been holding evacuation drills since 1975, but this is the first nationwide one. it comes as tensions on the korean peninsula are especially high. the labor department is adding a dozen countries to the list of nations that use child labor or forced labor. officials are warning the global economic crisis could cause an upswing in the exploitation of children and other workers. products range from everything from coffee that's gorown in el salvador to sapphires mined in madagascar. the latest reports will be released later today.

"time" magazine has named its person of the year. >> mark zuckerberg got it. i'll see this on the "today" show later. they'll show it later california time, but that's coming up at 7:00. in the meantime, yep, fousnder and ceo of facebook gets the nod. is he the youngest to win? no, he's 26. looking back over the records, queen elizabeth was also 26 when she won in 1952. and the very first man of the year, charles lindbergh, was 25. what do you think of the choice, you can go ironically enough to our nbc bay area morning news facebook page and tell us what you think. still no extension of the bush-era tax cuts, at least not yet. the senate did not conduct an up or down vote as we expected it might on tuesday, so we'll wait for today. honestly it's not the senate where this is going to be the battle but the house where the president's own party may derail

the bill. if the democrats can stop these cuts before congress's christmas break, then they will go through as scheduled -- or they'll expire as scheduled come january 1st. >> higher taxes. thanks a lot, scott. well, the ipad is shaping up as the number one holiday gift. the ipod touch isn't far behind. apple is repositioning the music players or hand-held gaming machines. the ipod now has 75,000 games available and more are expected to come before christmas. games still in the pipeline include one that say take advantage of ipod's new camera. >> there's a dr. seuss camera that came out with a version called the grinch camera. what you can do is browse through your ipod touch, find a grinch card, use your camera and it pod touch, take a picture of yourself or others and e-mail it right away to your friends and family as a christmas card. >> oh, i could be cindy lou who. other games take advantage of the new processor and retina

display screen. tron from disney will let you play with friends by wi-fi and apple's game center keeps track of your scores. the price of the apps is between $2 and $5. terrell owens has never shied away from criticizing his team or teammates and it looks like he's at it again. the cincinnati bengals receiver used his show last night to explain why the bengals are 2-11 on the season. he left no one out when placing blame. owens says the owner, the koechtz, the players are all underachieving. he also claims, quote, i have become numb to the situation of losing, being that i've lost for such a long time that i have not been able to point the finger on exactly what it really is. coming up, who wants to be a millionaire? one of our writers, the nbc bay area staffer that just finished an appearance on "who wtso

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welcome back. at 5:22, you're looking at some rare video out of oregon. new this morning, this is after a tornado touched down near salem, oregon. oregon actually averages one tornado per year but the national weather service in this area reported it was about an

ef-2 so winds over 100 miles per hour. you can see some of the damage they had there, some masonry and fortified homes damaged, and businesses, by that ef-2 tornado south of portland, oregon, yesterday. they only average one per year so pretty unusual weather off to the north. closer to home, the rain has moved on. it's fog-free on your drive across the golden gate bridge. we'll talk more about your morning commute in just a moment. let's show you the temperatures you're seeing right now. unlike yesterday where you had lots of 50s outside, it is cold enough you'll want a coat this morning. 30s and 40s out towards solano county. 49 degrees in san jose. as we look at the weather headlines, patchy fog and maybe some mist in a few spots. that's going to be the only thing weatherwise slowing you down. cool sunshine with highs in the 50s but the rain spills back in for friday and it will get heavy at times as you head toward the weekend. right now you can see on that loop what was left of the rain. we still have clouds over the bay area and a lot more offshore as we watch the calm before the

storms arriving for today on into tomorrow. today we'll see temperatures mostly in the 50s, patches of morning fog and a cool afternoon. thursday for now looks dry but beginning friday we'll see the first in a series of systems going for a ride along the pineapple express right out of the subtropical jetstream. this will tap into tremendous moisture by early next week where we could see rainfall totals between friday and next tuesday approaching the double digits. so we'll be having to watch this very closely for the weekend. close to 58 for san jose, the warm spot at that. cooler locations include fairfield and livermore with highs in the mid-50s. your seven-day forecast shows the break starting today should last until about thursday afternoon. then friday the rain moves back in, moderate at times. saturday into sunday we'll see a round of gusty winds and heavy rain. that rain as we go into sunday night and monday also looks heavy as times, so stay tuned to the forecast there. now watching your morning commute, let's show you what's going on on highway 4 right now.

travel times not too bad. over 60 miles per hour there along highway 4. altamont pass still g look out for patchy fog around the altamont pass. 680 and 580 still on schedule. as we take you to the bay shore freeway, everything still in the green. this includes down towards san jose this morning. still seeing good travel times, even around the south bay as you head up 101 approaching the 680 interchange. 71 miles an hour. approaching the southern half of the peninsula, travel times looking good. approaching sfo airport, patches of fog. right across the san mateo bridge and dumbarton bridges, travel times right on schedule this morning. this is fun. an nbc bay area staffer setting the season record on "who wants to be a millionaire." >> i can't believe it. in fact the number just came up, and i -- really, did i get that one? >> $450,000, that's what you have. >> marla miller. she's a long-time writer here at

nbc bay area. she walked away from the $500,000 question. the question was according to a popular legend, what historical figure is not dead but is asleep in europe waiting for the ride of the anti-christ? marla told host meredith vieira she thought it was maximillan, but wasn't too sure. so she walked away with $250,000. not too bad. that's her husband right there. by the way, the right answer to that one is charlemain. she used to be a entertainment reporter, long time kntv watcher and a best friend to everyone now. >> she's got a lot of friends now. the time now is 5:26. despite silence from the as, oakland tries to keep the team in the city. we'll tell you about the most recent steps. what the oakland police chief has to say about the police shooting of a popular barber. plus jobs on the line.

another bay area city says it may have to make concessions or people will lose their jobs. we will tell you which city is trying to balance its budget now. taking a live look outside, the bay bridge this morning. we'll get a look at the forecast with a lot. ig coming in27. 5:27 right now. nsive healing. the strongest itch relief medicine now has three vitamins and seven moisturizers. feel the heal.

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and succulent lobster dinner at sizzler for just $15.99. sizzler. thinking fresh. everyday. new this morning, eyes on the road. work is about to get started once again on the bay bridge. we'll tell you when. >> reporter: good morning, i'm christie smith. some east bay schools are on the chopping block. there just isn't enough money coming in from the state. we'll tell you which ones may

close coming up in a live report. and a live look outside this morning. the south bay, it is still raining off and on. some spots drying out just a little bit. there's a window here. we'll tell you what's coming up next, today, december 15th, on "today in the bay." from nbc bay area, reporting what matters to you, this is "today in the bay." good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us. i'm brent cannon. >> and i'm laura garcia-cannon. this is "today in the bay." let's get things started with a quick look at the forecast from rob. >> good morning to you. kid of a chilly start to the morning. for the most part the rain has moved on. 40s to start your day. your shivering out in solano county where out by pittsburg just after 2:00 this morning we had a pair of earthquakes, 2.1 and 2.4. notice our temperatures heading toward the afternoon, mid-50s today. we'll see cloudy skies. we should be rain-free today but the weekend forecast is looking very soggy. we'll have a look at that and your seven-day forecast coming

up in a few minutes. >> thank you very much. schools all over the bay area are dealing with financial setbacks, but one in the east bay has gone from bad to worse. christie smith is live in concord this morning where the district is looking to close some campuses. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. the worst case scenario we're talking about could be as many as seven schools in pleasant hill and concord as the school district's financial problems just keep mounting and mounting with things like declining enrollment. the mt. diablo school district could have to cut $13 million from its budget. much of that tied to state cuts. the district is looking at a number of options to try and fix this, but a committee has come up with a list of possible school closures that could save about $1.5 million a year. the next three months they're going to make some tough decisions, but they have been looking at this. the top recommendations for

closure include glenbrook middle school, silverwood elementary and wren avenue elementary school in concord. a final decision is expected coming up sometime in january. reporting live in concord, christie smith, "today in the bay." things will only get worse for local schools, according to incoming governor jerry brown. he says state schools need to brace for more budget cuts. california faces a $25.4 billion deficit. brown told the group of teachers and administrators yesterday it will be a tough ride, but he says the state will make it through. now, some say california cannot afford to lose more education funding. according to the national center for education statistics, california ranks 49th in the united states when it mcomes to students per teacher, also 49th in students per counselor, 50th in students per librarian and 47th in students per administrator. another bay area city says layoffs could be on the way.

city officials in antioch told the contra costa times early this morning that employees will face layoffs next month if they don't continue with their current concessions. workers agreed to skip raises, take pay cuts and do without cost-of-living increases earlier this year. those items are supposed to be reinstated early next month. however, the city says it would create a dire situation. none of the five worker groups involved have agreed to continuing concessions. if they don't, the city says it will need to cut staff to make up the difference. right now the city is saving about $737,000 a year with those concessions. federal jobs are coming to oakland. a federal agricultural agency is relocating, moving about 40 jobs to oakland from san francisco. it will rent 18,000 square feet of space. and the metropolitan transportation commission, the bay area air quality management district and the association of bay area governments are also looking for new headquarters.

they are looking in either oakland or san francisco. they have about 500 workers to consider and they hope to find at least 150,000 square feet of office space in one building. some people think the soldier accused of leaking sensitive military data to wikileaks is a traitor. others think bradley manning is a hero. berkeley city council members heard from both supporters and critics of the 23-year-old army private last night. last month the city's peace and justice commission voted to urge the city council to approve a resolution declaring manning a hero and thanking him for revealing the truth. councilmembers ended up voting to table that resolution indefinitely after a round of contentious public debate. >> when are we going to have some new ideas from berkeley? when are we going to tell the bearded and beaded propped jesters from the 1960s that we frankly had enough of them. they no longer speak for us. >> i'm not from the '60s. i'm not wearing beads. i don't really have much of a

beard. this isn't about silly stereotypes that you hear on the michael savage show. this is about real wars with real lives at stake. real people dying. >> manning is behind bars at a marine corps base in virginia. he faces up to 54 years in prison if convicted of charges of misusing and illegally downloading documents. oakland as police chief is asking for a federal investigation into the police shooting of a popular barber. two officers shot and killed derrick jones last month while responding to a domestic violence call at jones' shop. he was unarmed but officers say he appeared to be pulling a metal object out of his pants before they fired. the chief says he understands public distrust with a police investigation, so he is now asking federal leaders to do an independent probe. when raccoons attack is not the title of the latest reality show but it's become the dubious distinction of the island city of alameda.

four of the sharply clawed animals entered a home and attacked two dogs thursday morning on liberty avenue near high street. the dogs are going to survive. animal control officers say the raccoons slipped into the house drawn by the smell of food. the latest incident brings the total number of raccoon-related attacks in alameda to at least seven since june. a 33-year-old woman is among those who were attacked. she has since recovered. immigrant rights activists plan to take to the streets of oakland today in support of the dream act. marchers are demanding congress pass the act before it adjourns for christmas. the house passed the act last week. it would provide a path for citizenship for undocumented children of illegal immigrants. it has now stalled in the senate. demonstrators are also calling for state lawmakers to pass the california dream act and that will allow undocumented high school graduates to apply for state financial aid programs for college. similar rallies have been held all across the bay area in recent months.

the plan to build a ballpark near the oakland estuary cleared its first hurdle. they voted 3-1 to move forward on for an environmental impact review. the full council will decide tuesday whether to pay for the report. a councilmember has reservations. he wants a guarantee from as co-owner or the major league payable commission that they will be considering to keep the team in oakland. he says bringing the raiders to oakland from l.a. ended up costing millions because attendance never met expectations. drivers will see an unusual sight in the bay bridge over the next few tase. millions of pounds of steel will be hoisted onto the new span. this is a live look at that construction out there early this morning. the segments will bring the tower nearly three-fourths of the way to the final height, which is going to be 525 feet. the segments will be put into place during an around-the-clock operation which begins tomorrow.

transportation leaders are asking drivers to keep their eyes on the road. there will be slight changes. they promise no "s" curve, though. the new bridge is expected to open in late 2013. >> let's see if they'll be dealing with some rain as well. checking in with rob. >> today and tomorrow good days for it because this is the only break we're going to see probably for the next ten days as a lot of heavy rain comes in. a little bit of patchy fog in spots. 41 in fairfield, 50 in san francisco. not all that windy. finally we're catching a break in terms of the rain. most of it has moved on, off to southern california for today. we will see more opportunities of rain, and these weather systems are going to pack a lot of subtropical moisture, so we'll be talking about heavy rainfall totals for the weekend. but for now into at least thursday, we're looking dry. patchy fog, cool temperatures, highs in the mid-50s. by friday, the first in the series of systems going on for a ride on what we call the pineapple express. it's a subtropical jetstream that once it aims across the

coastal mountains and all that moisture slams into the santa cruz mountains, we could see rainfall totals, easily a few inches by the weekend. so this does get started on friday but i think the gusty winds and heavier rains will hold off until saturday afternoon. around the bay area today we'll see upper 50s around san jose. for the north bay highs in the mid-50s. again, for your outdoor plans, get them done today and tomorrow. this includes clearing any drains that are nearby, any leaves that may be down or trimming back some branches because the systems will pack a lot of rain but also bring gusty winds, maybe up to 40-mile-per-hour starting right around midday saturday. it's 5:39 right now. a last-ditch effort. congress getting ready for one more go at the don't ask, don't tell policy. plus a medical break-through and possible cure for hiv. doctors claim an hiv man appears to be free of the disease now. we'll have his amazing story just ahead. and kids well aware that things are not all right. how their santa letters are a little different this time around.

and another live look outside across the bay this morning. again, you can make out the bay bridge in the distance. no rainfalling right now. however, more is on the way. heads up, a little fog in the area depending on where you go. we'll be right back. reporting what matters to you, you're watching "today in the bay" with laura garcia-cannon, brent cannon, business and technology with scott mcgrew, and traffic with mike inouye. r

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good wednesday morning to you. taking a live look outside at the beautiful bay bridge this morning, these are some expected highs and lows across the bay area just to give you a range. palo alto 56, gilroy 56 as well. hayward 56. we're all the same. >> 56. halfway there, the deal to prevent higher taxes at the first of the year appears headed

for a final approval in the senate today, as president obama tries to sell it to big business. tracie potts is live now in washington, d.c., to tell us what we can expect today. >> reporter: well, expect that final series of votes in the senate to start just over three hours from now. it could take several hours because there are some amendments, but they're not expected to pass. this is the last chance for the senate to try to pass this deal as president obama brokered it with republicans. it is expected to pass. but in the house, democrats are still very upset about that estate tax that they say is much more generous and would have kicked in on january 1st and they are going to try to force a separate vote on that issue. republicans this morning warning them if they try to change the bill from what was passed in the senate, it won't go through. they won't support that. on top of all of this, the congress still has to deal with the spending bill, temporary spending for government agencies

runs out on saturday. republicans say let's extend it again into next year when, of course, they'll have a lot more influence in both houses of congress. democrats want to get that $1.1 trillion bill completed even if they have to come back after christmas and before new year's to do it. also today president obama meeting with 20 big business leaders urging them to take advantage of tax breaks and tax credits so they can invest in their companies and hire more workers. live from capitol hill, i'm tracie potts, for "today in the bay." new this morning, a nato service member is dead after a roadside bombing in southern afghanistan. the military coalition said the attack happened this morning, but gave no further details. more than 670 u.s. and other international troops have died in afghanistan this year. nato forces have poured troops into the southern provinces of afghanistan to fight the taliban. meantime in iran, two suicide bombers blew themselves

up near a mosque killing at least 38 people. it happened during a shiite morning ceremony in a city near the border with pakistan. dozens of others were hurt. it's 5:44 right now. thanks so much for joining us this morning. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> and i'm brent cannon. we'll get to traffic and weather in less than three minutes. but first amtrak is rolling back a ban this morning that has gun control advocates concerned. however, gun supporters are pleased. starting today passengers can check unloaded guns on trains. a ban that has been in place since the 9/11 terror attacks is now being reversed. marla tellez is live at the amtrak station in oakland. marla, this brings amtrak in line with some of the other transportation agencies. >> reporter: that is true, brent, because of course you can check a weapon if you are boarding a plane. now as you said a ban has been lifted so passengers boarding amtrak can check weapons. almost 30 million passengers rode amtrak last year.

it was not an option to do so but as of today it is. there are some conditions passengers must meet. here's a rundown of those conditions. a passenger must give amtrak at least 24 hours' notice. firearms, including handguns, starter pistols, rifles or shotguns must be unloaded and stored in a locked container within the baggage car. now, keep in mind not all trains have baggage cars. a passenger can also checkup to 11 pounds of ammunition. the gun prohibition has been in effect since 9/11, so more than nine years now. now, a man we spoke to just a few minutes ago said lifting the ban is not a good idea. >> aren't we fighting terrorism? why should somebody bring a weapon on the train? as a matter of fact, the train is more lenient than the plane, right? no, don't mess with the train. >> reporter: in that same vein, the difference between air and train travel, amtrak does not

screen all of its passengers before they board. now, amtrak says to prepare for today, it has spent about $2 million training staff and installing secure storage units to accommodate those guns. reporting live in oakland, marla tellez, "today in the bay." it's not like i can bring a gun and carry it on the train with me, i have to check it, right? >> yes, it cannot be on a person's body. as i mentioned, 24 hours notice, at least 24 hours' notice and then it will go underneath the train in the baggage car. >> thanks a lot, marla. appreciate it. now, "today in the bay" weather. good morning to you. it's 5:47 this morning. the rain for the most part has moved on, but we still have what's left behind. some patches of fog. a little bit of mist in a few spots. cool sunshine with highs in the mid-50s. enjoy the break that should last into tomorrow because by friday the rain will spill in, followed up by heavier rain.

central pay not seeing much on the radar loop. this is the last two hours and not much happening other than maybe some mist with patchy fog. you can see the showers for now diving into central and southern california as we catch a bit of a brief break from the weather. in the weekend we will see rain back in the picture getting started assel ese ese esel -- midday on friday. today a light jacket will be just fine to wear throughout the day today. 57 around san jose around 4:00 and 55 for san francisco. take a close look here at your seven-day forecast. we look fine through tomorrow. friday some moderate rain at times, not a bad system there. it's the saturday system we'll see winds starting to crank up 30 to 40 miles per hour. on the coast rain off and on into sunday and possibly heavier rain to follow monday into tuesday along the coastal mountains, we could see rainfall rates up to an inch per hour through the weekend so keep a close eye on the radar on our

weather page. let's show you what's going on on the maps. travel times southbound on 280, a little slowing as you pass san mateo, otherwise travel times looking pretty good. let's show you the bay bridge toll plaza if you can. right there, still no metering lights, but the travel volume starting to pick up as you approach the bay bridge toll plaza. another stop takes you further south down towards the san mateo bridge. you can actually see across the san mateo bridge this morning so even though we do have patchy fog, you're not finding it there. a little slow westbound across the bridge but overall things looking pretty good. back to the maps one more time for you. you'll see around the south bay, things actually looking pretty good so far this morning. we'll continue to monitor any changes in the commute coming up in a few minutes. back to you. >> thank you very much. the controversial don't ask, don't tell policy will be the topic of conversation on capitol hill today. they're hoping to force the senate into action. it's a last-ditch effort to get

the policy removed before republicans take control of the house next year. the senate attached the repeal to a broader bill last week but it failed by just three votes. the state senator from san francisco has a new plan to curb the pubullying of gay teen. mark leno wants california public schools to add gay history to the curriculum. he introduced a bill this week that calls for accurate and fair portrayal of gay figures in history. u.s. forces blocking its computers from wikileaks and "the new york times" or other newspapers or magazines that published the cables. they are blocking 25 websites overall to keep classified material off unclassified computer systems. now, a senior defense official questions why the air force is doing it. he says that information is already public knowledge. scott zuckerberg -- >> scott zuckerberg? >> i was thinking scott.

sorry, mark zuckerberg will take the honor this year. >> steven colbert has won twitter. that's what he claims. specifically he gets the nod as the person who wrote the tweet with the most retweets so when the talk show host broet on the bp spill in honor of oil-soaked birds, tweets are now gurgles, it was retweeted and requoted more than anything else written on twitter this year. >> the number one most retweeted tweet in 2010. it's official! i won twitter! i have harpooned the whale. tonight we dine -- >> they awarded a completely fake award to the fake host. so steven colbert, winner of twitter in 2010. an award he completely made up.

>> an award he's completely proud of. thank you very much, scott. it's 5:51 right now. bay area researchers are hoping a remarkable patient halfway across the world can help them find a cure for hiv. the breakthrough happened when an hiv-positive patient in germany got a bone marrow transplant to treat leukemia. the donor did not have a gene called ccr-5. it turns out that gene is what allows hiv to enter a cell. when hiv cannot infect other cells, it dies off. four years after the man's transplant, doctors found him completely hiv-free. now experts at san francisco's quest research are trying to recreate the scenario with gene therapy. >> their own t cells, their own stem cells, manipulating them to remove that ccr-5 gene and then rey reinfusing them, that is doable. >> from the experiment so far, my t cells have doubled and my percentage numbers have gone up,

so everything is going in the right direction. >> quest research is treating ten patients with gene therapy. doctors call the results encouraging and are now looking for new patients to expand that study. santa is getting a lot more heart-breaking letters this holiday season. the u.s. postal service says a lot more letters to santa are asking for the basics this year, for things like socks, coats, shoes and that kind of thing. some are even asking for other members of their family, on behalf of them. the "usa today" posted this letter from a 7-year-old girl. she says this year my mom doesn't have much money to spend on christmas gifts so i'm writing to you. it would make us very happy if you and your elves could bring us toys and clothes. holiday shopping at the mall is a challenge this year, even before you step into the stores. more people seem willing to shop this year. that means snagging a parking space can test your patience. if you follow these simple tips, it shouldn't take you nearly as long. first off at valley fair mall

where the experts say aim high. >> go straight to the top of the parking garage because typically there's always spots on top. >> over at san jose's oak ridge mall, their tip is to miss the target. management there says there are always more spots open on the sears end of the mall rather than the side anchored with the target store. and in san francisco if you're shopping in or around union square, head to the ellis o'fairel garage, complimentary valet on every level. mall backs up on 280. the tip is to get off the freeway one exit earlier or later. there is now scientific proof that beauty sleep is not a myth. researchers in sweden took pictures of 23 people on two different days. once after they got a full night's sleep and once after being sleep-deprived. all pictures were taken in identical lighting and participants had no makeup and underwent similar grooming for each photo. observers say the sleep-deprived people were less attractive,

less healthy and more tired than the rested group. now, "today in the bay" weather. >> 5:54. hopefully you are all well rested this morning. let's show you some of the temperatures you're waking up to. kind of chilly outside. that's going to wake you up. 41 degrees, 49 in san jose. but the rain has moved on. you can see the showers heading into southern california for today so patchy fog really the only thing we're tracking for you in the weather this morning. 40s around breakfast time. lunchtime we'll see a few clouds but plan on a cool afternoon. you can keep the jacket throughout the day. highs in the mid-50s. the break from the rain should hold up through tomorrow afternoon and friday morning the rain comes back. plan on heavy rain and gusty winds as you move into the weekend. laura. rock and roll hall of fame inductees will officially be announced today. alice cooper says he was called last week and they told him that he'll be inducted on march 14th. neil diamond, darling love, dr.

john will also be added to the hall of fame list. left off the 2011 list bon jovi, rapper l.l. cool jay and the beasty boys, along with many others. mark zuckerberg is "time" magazine's person of the year. >> they make the announcement on the "today" show this morning. he describes zuckerberg's reaction to the honor. >> well, he felt humbled by it, he felt honored by it. i mean he's only 26. he's the second youngest person of the year in our history. charles lindbergh was younger. i think he was deeply affected by it. but he's not a guy who jumps up and down and shouts, you know, "look at me." >> each year the magazine picks a person or group that has led and had the most influence on events throughout the year. this year's person of the year issue hits newsstands on friday. you can see the rest of the

interview on the "today" show starting at 7:00. are you ready for the holidays? we have a list of the best waterfront vacations. and business leaders are meeting with president obama this morning. we expect to hear from the president maybe in about a half an hour and we'll bring you what he has to say. please don't. please don't. please. [ gunshots ] >> a school board meeting ends with one man dead, another hurt. we'll hear from heroesho shocki any worse.

good morning. i'm christie smith. as many as seven schools in one east bay school district may have to be shut down due to financial problems. we'll tell you which ones are being considered c